As if on command, Bridget dragged cold air into her lungs, holding it. She had to consciously think about exhaling slowly rather than rapidly and forcing her body to do what it should normally. She did it again.
“There you go. Keep going. Is Jerica still at work?”
Bridget nodded, not even aware enough to realize that Eli couldn’t see her.
“Did you have another nightmare?”
“Y-yeah,” Bridget stuttered out, finally able to form a word.
“Okay, keep breathing slowly. It’s not real, not anymore.”
Those words brought on the tears. How the fuck has she ended up with such a compassionate friend? She’d never deserved Eli. Not from the start, and yet somehow, Eli had ended up in her life. Her parents would say it was God who had put Eli there, although they’d also probably say it was the Devil. Bridget didn’t believe in such things, and she didn’t know what she’d done to deserve someone who was so calm and with-it.
“When you can talk, I want you to talk to me, okay?”
“Yeah.” Bridget sounded much more cognizant that time than she had the last time, which was a good improvement in her mind. One step forward, no more steps back.
“Want to tell me what happened?”
“No.” Bridget tightened again, the images flooding her brain even if she didn’t want them to. There was no way to get them out. The sounds, the sensation of being crushed by hot rubber. The scent of something burning. She gulped.
“Bridget, take another breath.”
She did as she was told.
“Can you call Jerica and maybe ask her to come home early?”
Shaking her head again, Bridget closed her eyes and attempted to focus. She didn’t even know what time it was. She’d fallen asleep and it was still light out, but now it looked far darker than that. “What time is it?”
“It’s about four in the afternoon.”
“I fell asleep.”
“I gathered,” Eli answered. “At least you’re giving more than one-word answers now.”
“Yeah.” Bridget chuckled lightly, but it was still nervous and not a full boom of her voice. “If it’s four, then I think Jerica should be off soon.”
“Look at your phone and see if she told you when she’d be back.”
“Right.” Bridget moved her phone from her ear and stared down at it. It took her another second to think about even opening up her text messages to read the last few exchanges between her and Jerica. “She’s off at five.”
“So you don’t have much longer to wait then.”
“I guess not.”
“How are you feeling now?”
“Better. Calmer,” Bridget corrected. “Like I know where I am and when I am.”
“Well, that’s a bonus. How many nightmares have you been having, Bridge? I know I don’t wake up to all of them.”
Bridget sighed heavily, but Eli had asked for openness. So she told her. “Every night.”
“Bridget!” The shock was enough to tell her she should have said something before then, but Bridget still didn’t want people to think she was weak or that she couldn’t handle her own shit. “That’s insane.”
“I know. Not all of them are awful, but I think this one was bad because I’m alone and not somewhere I’m super familiar with.”
“And you saw the cruiser today. I worried it might do this to you.”